Week 43 - February 18-24

The beautiful skyline as we walk 

to the Monday morning devotional.

Friday was ski day for our son and grandson.  

They enjoy Park City for the day.

Saturday was our day at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

We spent sometime at the Family History Library.

Enjoyed a German lunch at Siegfried.  I had a 

bratwurst, sauerkraut, schnitzel and brown gravy.

In the afternoon we enjoyed the Brigham Young University Young Ambassadors.  They preformed "Welcome Home".  Salt Lake was the last stop on a tour starting in Provo, Las Vegas, Pasadena, Bakersfield, Agoura Hills, Long Beach, Poway, Riverside, Cedar City and ending in Salt Lake City at the small theater in the conference center.

After the performance our group walked over to the Church History Museum.

This Angel Moroni is the only Angel Moroni that has ever stood on top of a chapel.  It was on top of the chapel in Washington DC for many years.  The building was torn down and rebuild a few years ago.  The angel was removed and is now it is on display in the museum.

I lifted a 50 pound set of simulated gold plates.  

I can not imagine running with such a 

load as the Prophet Joseph Smith did.

We then went out to King Buffet and enjoyed Chinese, 

Japanese and Mongolian foods for dinner. 

Sunday found us heading to the Joseph Smith Memorial building for church.  On the way we stopped and took pictures of three special men from our family with the Salt Lake Temple as the background.

After church we drove to Brigham City to 

help celebrate K's sixteenth birthday.

She had an amazing torch candle that turned into

 sixteen smaller candles and played Happy 

Birthday.  It was surprising to me. 

When we got back to Bountiful K made a snowman.  

I was told the snowman has a dunce cap on. 

A THOUGHT FOR YOU

Your Family Name 

by Nelle A. Williams

You got it from your father

It was all he had to give

So it's yours to use and cherish

For as long as you may live

If you lost the watch he gave you

It can always be replaced;

But a black mark on your name 

Can never be erased

It was clean the day you took it

And a worthy name to bear

When he got it from his father

There was no dishonor there

So make sure you guard it wisely

After all is said and done

You'll be glad the name is spotless

When you give it to your son

Week 42 - February 11-17

B1 (International Floor) had their Recognition Meeting this week.  Elder Koberstein and I had ordered some pins for B1 when the missionary complete Level 3 training.  Our first missionaries to receive this award are Elder & Sister Ekenes and Sister Rochon.

This is a group of others who still are working on our floor and have finished L3 training.

After our the Recognition Meeting we had our traditional potluck luncheon.  It is always a lot of good food, good company and good time to visit thanks to all the missionaries on B1.

 

Following the luncheon zone pictures were taken this week.  Sadly the mission photographer did not show up.  We used my little Cannon camera.  It did okay but a bigger flash would have lighted up the faces better.

This picture is the second half of the zone.  It is not possible to pull all the missionaries off the floor at one time.  We need to keep the service of guests in the library going.  We also have missionaries that do not serve on Tuesday who are not present but it is a large share of the missionaries serving on B1.

Nathan has been digitizing his many slides.  They came to the library on Friday to work on them.  We left together and went to the Discovery Center on the main  floor.  We each chose a different place to visit.  Elder Koberstein did our pioneer heritage.

Susan chose Wyoming.  This is chimney Rock Wyoming, a place that the pioneers record passing on their way to Salt Lake Valley.

I chose Mt Fuji in Japan.

Nathan chose the Stockholm, Sweden temple.

The computer was not as cooperative as one would hope it would be at allowing us to choose the background.  Where do you think we are?  I don't know.

It was raining, one night this week, and Nathan went to the South Davis Recreation Center to walk on the track.  They allow senior citizens to get passes and walk for free.  It was a fun, safe place to walk.  Elder Koberstein and I tried it out twice this week (Thursday and Saturday Morning).  Hope to be able to do it a lot more.  Winter has been a challenge to exercise for us.

THOUGHT FOR YOU  
...President Nelson asked church members to remodel their homes into sanctuaries of faith and to join efforts to alleviate suffering while President Oaks said ancient truths maintain their strength in the modern world."Right is still right, and wrong is still wrong," 
President Oaks said, "regardless of what is said or done by movie idols, TV personalities or sports stars." He repeated the church's position on avoiding tattoos, piercings, immodesty and pornography, calling such things "graffiti on your personal temple."  -from Arizona conference 2019

Week 41 - February 4-10

I am enjoying our family calendar.  Thank you family for memories of love though out the years.  This month is especially great with Valentines Day.  I love my family.

Tuesday morning when we went into the FHL it had really snowed during the night.  We could hardly see the temple.

Many of our missionaries had a hard time getting in.  We told them to stay home.  We wanted them safe.  Those that were full time missionaries and within walking distance where wonderful to come in.  They trudged though the snow to the Family History Library to help our guests.  We are thankful for their dedication and testimonies of what they are doing.  The picture is Elder Koberstein walking on the shovel wide path from the parking lot to the back door of the FHL for 7:30 prayer meeting.  Luetta was taking pictures, surprise.

It is amazing the big piles of snow in one day. 

At least the roads were better coming home.

This week is Valentines Day.  The Joseph Smith Memorial had a beautiful display of flowers in the foyer today when we went to church.

Happy Valentine's Day Elder Koberstein.

A THOUGHT FOR YOU

To love is nothing  

To be loved is something

But to love and to be loved,

That's everything.  

Week 40 (more thoughts) - January 28 - February 3

In Sunday School President Michael J. Sherrill taught from the conference talk of D. Todd Christofferson "The Divine Gift of Repentance" from the October 2011 General Conference.  This talk has some interesting ideas in it for me.

"First, the invitation to repent is an expression of love.  When the Savior 'began to preach, and say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matthew 4:17), it was a message of love, inviting all who would to qualify to join Him 'and enjoy the words of eternal life (itself) in the world to com' (Moses 6:59)....  

Second, repentance means striving to change....we seek His grace to complement and reward our most diligent efforts (see 2 Nephi 25:23)....Real repentance, real change may require repeated attempts, but there is something refining and holy in such striving....With repentance we can steadily improve in our capacity to live the celestial law for we recognize that 'he who is not able to abide the law of celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory' (D&C 88:22)....

Three, repentance means not only abandoning sin but also committing to obedience.  The Bible Dictionary states, 'Repentance came to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, (as well as) a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined.'....For our turning to the Lord to be complete, it must include nothing less than a covenant of obedience to Him.  

We often speak of this covenant as the baptismal covenant of obedience to the Father....Without this covenant, repentance remains incomplete and the remission of sins unattained.  In the memorable expression of Professor Noel Reynolds, 'The choice to repent is a choice to burn bridges in every direction (having determined) to follow forever only one way, the one path that leads to eternal life'....

Fourth, repentance requires a seriousness of purpose and a willingness to persevere, even through pain.....True repentance is not superficial.  The Lord gives two overarching requirement:  'By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins-behold, he will confess them and forsake them' (D&C 58:43).   

This article helps me see the importance of baptism for even the Savior of the world who lived a perfect life on earth but who needed a covenant of obedience to  his Father in Heaven.  The baptismal covenant is that covenant between the person baptized and Heavenly Father.  Our Father in Heaven will work with us if we are changing to make our lives better.  It is a process of change and with change there may be back sliding but if we pick ourselves up and try again we are still on the covenant path.

I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who knows that I need more than one chance to change.  When I am changing to be more like him I am on the covenant path.

Week 40 - January 28 - February 3

Wednesday evening our Missionary Training Center Social Group had an activity at the Garden Apartments Social Room.  Elder Koberstein and I decided to walk to Crown Burgers for dinner from the Family History Library.  We enjoyed a filet of fish and tuna melt as well as a crowd of guests parking, eating and attending a concert near.  We then walked to the Garden Apartments social room and enjoyed a two hour lecture by Elder Tilly, who worked in the drug enforcement agency/DEA agent.  I was disappointed that not many of our social group attended and many others had been invited.  We were the strangers in the group.

Friday was our half day temple/research day.  We walked over to the Salt Lake Temple with Sister Ng from the International Floor.  She is from Malaysia and would really like to work in the Salt Lake Temple on her P-day.  We talked to the temple recorder and enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria at the temple.

Elder Koberstein and I set a goal to visit all 17 temples in Utah during our mission here.  We had four left to visit (Mount Timpanogas, Monticello, Draper and Provo City Center).  We chose Draper only to find out it was closed for cleaning.  Our second choice was the Mount Timpanogos temple.  As we drove to the temple we saw the beautiful Mount Timpanogos mountains in the background.  They are one of Utah's most prominent peaks.

This trip bought back special memories of years ago when our second daughter was married in this temple.

Elder Koberstein and I have never attended a secession in this temple, only the sealing that day.  It was an enjoyable experience to share together.

THOUGHT FOR YOU

Henry J. and Kelly C. Eyring

As we strive to see the small but significant miracles and divine power given to us each day, our spiritual eyes will be opened to eternal realities, especially as we make a personal record of what we have been shown daily by the Holy Ghost.
-President Henry J. Eyring, Brigham Young University-Idaho